Parole officers from across Sydney are revealing what it’s like to work with offenders one-on-one in the sixth and final episode of Corrective Services NSW’s (CSNSW) podcast, Behind the Walls.
The Corrective Services’ podcast series features first-hand accounts from 30 correctional officers about what really happens behind the walls of prisons and the doors of parole offices in NSW.
In the sixth and final episode, Parole, Officer with Hornsby Community Corrections, Grace Wong discusses her experiences of supervising parolees and offenders on community-based court sentences.
“We do get a lot of clients who walk through the door with histories of childhood trauma, sexual abuse, exposure to violence at an early age and domestic violence,” Ms Wong said.
“I think a lot of the trauma that clients go through and their abuse history contributes to the reasons why they end up in our system,” she said.
Ms Wong said some very sad stories had walked through the door of Hornsby Community Corrections.
CSNSW said Community Corrections Officers worked one-on-one with offenders to help them to address the reasons why they committed crime and how they could stop.
The Agency said the work included developing management plans; regular monitoring; and referral to necessary services and programs.
Also featured on the last episode, Officer with St Leonards Community Corrections, Jessie Slattery-McDonald said that while interventions could assist a person to lead a more pro-social life, sometimes the wisdom to make a change only came with age.
CSNSW’s Behind the Walls podcasts can be accessed at this PS News link.
